Kumar aims high

Action from snooker ranking tournament at Merchants Club on Saturday.
Picture: ELIKI NUKUTABU

NATIONAL number one Jiten Prasad is determined to keep his place at the top of the snooker competition in the country.

Yesterday, Prasad was playing Mosese Nawaqakuta in the super premier final of the first National Ranking tournament of the year at the Fiji Club in Suva when this edition went to press.

Prasad overcame Yashni Kant 3-1 in the quarter-finals and then beat Mahen Deo by the same score in the semi-final.

Nawaqakuta also won 3-1 over his quarter-final opponent Deepak J Ram and then won by the same score over Rimal Narayan in the semi-final.

In the other quarter-finals, Deo had beaten Nitesh Chand 3-1 and Narayan had beaten Sikeli Nawaqaliva by the same score.

Billiards and Snooker Association of Fiji president Dr Praveen Maharaj said Prasad was using the tournament as build-up to the Oceania Snooker Championship that would be played at the end of the month.

Meanwhile, debutant Krishneel Naicker was playing Rahil Prasad in the premier final when this edition when to press.

"Naicker is a newcomer from Labasa who is plying his trade at the Nausori Club and its good to see a newcomer play in the final," Maharaj said.

Naicker beat Rahil's brother Sahil 3-2 in the semi-final while Rahil beat Vikrant Sharma 3-1 in the other premier semi-final.